Page 115 of The Guardian's Curse

“I certainly cannot complain about the view,” he drawled. His hands caressed her, sliding down to rest on her hips. “Are you pleased with what you see?”

“I was always pleased with what I saw,” she said. He scowled, but she tapped his nose lightly. “I saw you as you were from the beginning. I always knew you were beautiful. No curse could hide that. But I like seeing your smile. I like that you’re not afraid anymore.”

She expected him to argue, but his eyes gleamed. “I was afraid. But no more. I love you, Shoshanna York. More than anything I have ever known. I want nothing more than to spend my eternity making you happy.”

With a smile, she bent and helped herself to a long, lazy kiss. His hand tangled into her hair, holding her until she was breathless and dizzy. She broke away to gaze down at him. “And I love you, Alistair Thorne. I want to spend my eternity letting you make me happy.”

He laughed, rumbling through her body. “Easy enough.” Then he growled and flipped her onto her back. “Shall I begin making you happy?” His cock nudged at her, and she shifted her hips to welcome him. Warmth slid up her spine as he pushed into her, his gaze never breaking from her. Watching his eyes flutter made her clench tight around him. She saw his hunger taking hold, as the blue-green turned to purple-red of wine, then the bright red of a ruby in sunlight.

Something resonated throughout her body, centered at her chest. Though she’d enjoyed sex with him before, it was nothing compared to this as the power of the soulmate bond echoed around them. Her whole body trembled as he moved in her.

Something snapped taut between them. His eyes widened, making it clear that he felt it too. “Shoshanna,” he panted, quickening his thrusts.

She just nodded breathlessly, circling her hips to meet him, holding tight to his broad shoulders. “I know,” she breathed. “I know.”

Fiery desperation tightened in a metal band around her core, pulling tighter and tighter to where their bodies met, melding together into one pulsing heart. Her fingers tangled in his thick hair, pulling him down as she threw her head back in invitation. He kissed her neck, sucking at the soft hollow before his teeth pierced the skin. Pain faded quickly into nameless pleasure, so intense it overwhelmed her.

The world was a trillion threads of magic wrapping around her. It was better than magic, better than chocolate, better than sex itself. This was the soulmate bond, made reality. Two bodies, two hearts, so thoroughly entwined that she could not remember what it was like before she knew Alistair’s touch, that there was ever a time before his lips were at her throat.

She let out a clipped cry of relief and sheer delight as orgasm exploded through her, fireworks of red and pink and white that pulled her body in a tight arch. Alistair caught her, crushing her to his chest as he finished with a triumphant shout. His lips were wet and red with her blood, and he lowered his head to kiss her. “Shoshanna,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. “My God.”

“Alistair,” she replied, wiggling her hips beneath him. He groaned, withdrawing slowly as he flopped onto his back and gave her a glorious view of his body, naked and gleaming with sweat. As she caught her breath, she simply marveled at him, tracing the soft curve of muscle on his shoulder, down to the hollow of his elbow where a single vein stood out against his lean forearm. Then she kissed the inside of his wrist and sat up. “You know, all this time, it’s been very unfair.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve gotten to look at me naked a dozen times, and this is my first time,” she said with mock anger. “You’ve kept all this concealed.”

“Well, by all means, look as you will,” he said, propping one arm under his head.

She traced one finger along his lower ribs, then down his hipbone and lower. She watched with delight as the muscles in his thigh twitched, chasing the grazing touch of her fingers. When her hand drifted up to his chest, he gently grasped her right hand, fingers tracing the new, dark lines. “What is this?”

“It’s so strange,” she said. “But I had a vision when I broke the curse.” She told him about Ursula, and to her surprise, he didn’t look skeptical.

“I saw something as well,” he said quietly. “It challenged me on whether I was worthy of you. It didn’t look quite the same, but I caught flashes of a spider.” His strong fingers massaged her hand lightly, sending shivers down her spine. “So what arcane knowledge did your new friend give you?”

“I don’t know. She said I would have insight,” she said. “I wonder if I might be able to call on her for help with the others.” She shook her head. “It’s a lot to figure out. I’ll start researching. She called herself fati arana...”

“Aranaeum?” he asked. “Makes sense. Spider of fate, I think.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Of course you know that.” He rewarded her with a dazzling smile. “But we have time for that later.” She withdrew her hand and resumed her gentle exploration, tracing every soft curve and hard edge of his body. “You realize this is the first time I’ve seen your cock, right?”

He laughed, a wonderfully light sound. “Really?”

“Mmhmm,” she replied. She kissed his inner thigh. “I have plans for that later.”

His red eyes gleamed. “I look forward to it.”

“Do the others know?”

“That you’re mine to make love to forever? Yes, of course,” he said. “What you plan to do with my cock, I certainly hope not. Some things should be mysterious, Shoshanna.”

She laughed shook her head. “No, silly. That your curse is broken.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve kept them at bay until I knew you were well. As soon as I call, they’re all going to show up here. They’ve been texting nonstop to check on you.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. I’m the worst friend ever,” she said. “What about Ruby?”

“She’s fine,” he said gently. “Nikko took her home last night, but I was given strict orders that you are to call her when you wake up, after you finished fucking your vampire boyfriend.” His brow arched. “That’s a direct quote.”

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